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I wonder how this new law will treat the “Date Girls Flirt free” ads on Naharnet and other Lebanese websites. Listen carefully between Minute 1:10 and 1:33 and expect further censorship in the future.

All pictures taken from Biser3a.com

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This is the first peek at the first model of W Motors: The HyperSport Lykan – first seen on MotorvisionHD, on the 28th of January presented at Qatar Motor Show. The first Arabian Super Car!

The HyperSport Lykan, the world’s most exclusive supercar, will be launched today at the Qatar Motor Show 2013.

Picture via Benoit Fraylon – Brand Communications Director at W Motors

Picture via GreenProphet.com

If Lebanese have no problem killing each other these days, I don’t find it hard to believe that they’d treat animals this way. Quite sad!

There’s a petition requesting “Justice for Whiskey” that was prepared by Christine Linder and addressed to Pr.Michel Sleiman and PM Najib Mikati. You can sign it [Here].

On Sunday 27 January 2013, Whisky was being walked by a friend of his owner along the Corniche of Beirut. According to Whisky’s wonder, Bassem, they would regularly walk along this busy part of Beirut, with Whisky playing with people and enjoying one of the few areas of public space for dog owners to walk with their dogs.

Around 9AM, Bassem received a phone call from his friend who had volunteered to take Whisky for a walk as Bassem was suffering from an injured leg. His friend said that Whisky had been shot 12 times and killed by a man who claimed that Whisky had attacked his daughter. Whisky regularly walked along this busy route and did not have a history of aggressive behavior. Rather he was remembered to be “very peaceful and lovely he used to play with everyone and smile for everyone”.

The shooter is now being held by the police, but it is not sure for how long. As the law protecting Animal Rights is still waiting to be implemented, this man may be released with a minimal, if not zero punishment.

In addition, Bassem has noted that the shooter is now arguing that Bassem should pay for the injuries that he suffered while killing Whisky. [Source]

Picture of the dog before and after he got shot – Taken from Animals Lebanon

A lot of kidnappings in Lebanon take place in the Bekaa – Source

To sum up the story below in two words: If you don’t speak Arabic, you can’t report a crime to the ’112′ operators, and kidnappings are no longer a big deal in Lebanon.

Read the full story [Here]

At around 11pm on Friday night, I was texting while walking with a friend outside EDL in Mar Mikhail. I was immersed by the words of my message, but quickly snapped out of my trance when my buddy directed my attention to an incident in the middle of the road.

Four guys dressed all in black were in the process of throwing someone into the back seat of an old Mercedes with tinted windows. As they threw him, one of the four guys kicked the man into the car. According to my friend, one of the men was armed with a rifle, though I didn’t see it personally.

One man stepped into the car behind the forced person and shut the car’s door behind him, while the other 3 entered the car from the other doors and drove off. The car was followed by a smaller SUV (like a CRV).

My first response was to wave down a police car and explain the incident. Two members of the darak were in the car, one an officer, and neither took down notes when I explained the incident. When I gave them the license plate number, the driver (not the officer) pulled out his phone and typed in around 4 numbers (the license plate had 6 numbers) before putting his phone away. While they both looked slightly concerned, they simply nodded before driving off. I have no way of knowing if they followed up.

To be thorough, I called ‘112’ to report an emergency. I asked the operator if I could describe the incident to him in English but he responded by saying he only spoke Arabic. I did my best to describe the incident but the tone on the other end of the line inspired little hope that anything would be done.

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While watching Red Bull’s last commercial for Middle East and Africa, I noticed they are starting a new campaign tomorrow to encourage Red Bull fans and consumers to share their own personal ‘Gives You Wings’ moments on the website. Basically what you need to do is go RedBullMEA.com/GivesYouWings then click on the “Share what inspires you” tab and upload a cool picture (No videos yet) of you doing a crazy ski jump or skydiving or any other activity with a short personal quote.

I think that’s a great idea and I hope to see many Lebanese posting cool pictures. I already know a couple of friends who would be more than delighted to have their pictures on Red Bull’s website. I also have a picture of myself that would be perfect for this campaign, but I will have to dig it out as it was taken back in 2003 or 2004 when I was on vacation in Turkey.

Check out Red Bull’s website for more info [Here].

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On the same day Al-Assir was visiting Kfardebian, Ghassan Seifeddine and his son Hady were killed in Wata Al-Jawz by Anthony Khalil during a personal dispute. Residents of Lebanon’s Jbeil town of Lassa, hometown of both victims, reacted by blocking roads and threatening to march to Baabda, and warned of a civil war (See video of Lassa’s Sheikh speech above) if the killer is not handed to the authorities.

I disagree with that poster – everyone should let justice take its course

Even though they have every right to be saddened by this tragic incident and demand that the killer give himself in, I don’t understand their reaction specially that some reports are saying Anthony killed the two men in self-defense. Apparently, members of the Seifeddine family were beating Pierre Nakhoul (who will reveal the full story to the authorities soon) when Anthony happened to pass by, so he stopped his truck and “started shouting at the Seifeddines in an attempt to have them stop. Two of them then attacked Khalil with a machete and a knife. It was at this point that Khalil took out a gun, shoot the two of them, and killed them”. [Link]

I have no idea if the story is correct, nor am I trying to defend what Anthony did, but it’s obviously a personal dispute that ended the wrong way, so the best is to leave it as is without blocking roads and turning it into a sectarian matter. Whether he did it in self-defense or not, he still shot two people dead and this is punishable by law.

Until then, may the victims rest in peace and let’s hope we never hear of such incidents anymore. Too bad two other people were shot dead by a third one during a car chase last night on the Khaldeh highway.

Source

Few days ago, I saw a post about an unidentified woman driving a black BMW tainted car blocking the road in Hamra. As it turns out, the lady was Rola Yammout, Haifa Wehbe’s stepsister, and she got stopped by a policeman who wanted to check her tint license but she refused to show him any papers for some reason.

Today, Rola Yammout posted on Hamra’s Facebook page (which I could not find) why she blocked the road by claiming the policeman never asked for any papers but instead was harassing her and making a big fuss about her being Haifa’s sister. Added to that, she posted pictures of her window tinting permit and gun license to prove that she wasn’t violating the law.

Source

My question is: What is the criteria for getting a gun license and a permission to tint your car in Lebanon? Why does she have both?

via Kelchibrase

Picture from CNTraveler

According to CNTraveler, the top 5 cities in the Middle East are:
1- Beirut
2- Byblos
3- Dubai
4- Tel Aviv
5- Jerusalem

This is great but why is there a picture of the Jounieh Bay instead of Beirut? As far as I know, both are different cities. This reminded me of TripAdvisor’s list of to-do things in Beirut and how Jeita Grotto is the #1 attraction in Beirut.

Link via ZiadKamel

There’s an Arabic saying that says “يعمل من الحبة قبة” which I think sums up what happened on Thursday during Al-Assir’s visit when some Kfardebian residents blocked the roads to prevent him from reaching the ski slopes. I don’t want to dig into the details of his visit and the number of tainted cars he had in his convoy or the reason Farid Haykal al-Khazen asked his men to block the roads and the amount of sectarianism, hatred and shortsightedness that were displayed on that day. What I will do is try to re-imagine the whole trip without anyone blocking the roads and show you that we tend to exaggerate things the whole time in Lebanon.

Picture via Reuters

Before I start, most people who were against his visit criticized the large number of people Assir brought with him, which were around 300, out of which 103 children and 97 men, distributed over seven buses. This number is nothing compared to the number of buses I saw prior to New Year’s eve when it first snowed in Faraya. Added to that, Muslims in Lebanon tend to celebrate some of their holidays by visiting the Cedars or Faraya or other distant areas (which happen to be Christian ones) that they don’t usually go to and I’ve never heard anyone complaining about it. On the contrary, I think every Lebanese should explore parts of Lebanon he/she has never been to before.

Picture via Reuters

Anyway back to my story, imagine Al-Assir’s trip that way and tell me if it isn’t easier to plan that:

1- Local heads of municipalities and mayors in the Kfardebian area coordinate efforts to welcome Al-Assir and invite him and his group over to breakfast at one of Faraya’s authentic Lebanese restaurants or at Afif (Emperor of Lahm Baajin). This would have barely cost 500$ and benefited everyone.

2- Al-Assir and his group head to the ski slopes where they are welcomed and assigned a small area for the children to enjoy the snow and 2 or 3 guides to help them. Rental of equipment (Skis/Luge/Ski-Doo) as well as 300 people buying beverages/food/snacks would have brought an extra smile on every shop owner up there.

3- On their way back, the whole group could have stopped at Erzal or any Lebanese restaurant up there and had lunch. I don’t think any of the restaurant owners would have complained or blocked roads. If there was a 10$ minimum charge, this would have brought 3000$ in one day to the restaurant owner.

4- Al-Assir and his group head back home, everyone is happy and the media is praising Kfardebian’s hospitality and national unity bla bla bla instead of promoting sectarianism and hatred.

There was nothing suspicious or provoking about his visit except for the people who thought so, and this all could have been avoided if we reasoned a bit, but that’s apparently too hard to ask these days.

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Since Haifa Wehbe is all over Lebanese TVs and billboards lately for some reason, here’s what Egyptian Lawyer Nabih el Wahsh had to say about her last week. I don’t know what’s the deal with this guy but he’s taking things way too personal.

Back in November 2012, Salah Abdel-Maksoud, Egypt’s Information Minister, had forbidden all Egyptian TVs from broadcasting any show including Haifa Wehbe or Elham Chahine. To be honest though, I don’t think anyone would want to be in Egypt these days.

Picture from Naim Halawi Facebook Page

In case you missed the last scandal at the Roumieh Prison, here’s a brief summary of what happened:

Roumieh Prison inmate G. al-Qandaqli was beaten to death and strangled by other inmates after he uncovered a detailed scheme to escape the prison. Three prison guards were rewarded for foiling the attempt and State Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Saqr Saqr charged five members of Fatah al-Islam for al-Qandaqli’s murder.

However and here’s the funny part, Islamist inmates refused to hand over two of the killers to the security forces and started negotiating with them. Is it so hard for the army forces to storm the prison and capture them? Is it acceptable to negotiate with criminals? Of course not but it’s pointless to talk about this, so it’s better if we just laugh about it like Naim Halawi is.

Come to think of it, had the Prison Break creators done some research on Roumieh Prison, they would have easily come up with 10 extra seasons.

Picture via Kriks

Whatever happened to Wassouf?

Armenians in Lebanon and around the world celebrate today the holiday of St. Sarkis, one of the most beloved saints among the Armenian nation. According to traditions, the night before St. Sarkis Day, “teenagers will go to church, firmly keeping an “Aghi plit” (salty cookie) in their pockets, which must be eaten before going to sleep. The salty cookie will make them thirsty and in their dreams whoever offers them a drink of water, will be their future husband or wife” [Source]. Added to that, there’s a special cake prepared on St. Sarkis holiday, known as the Musa Daghian “kumba”, which is a kind of “Darehats”. A coin (“michink”) is hidden inside the cake and whoever gets it will be the luckiest of the year, and will be the supporter of his/her family. [Read More]

Picture from THE ART OF ARMENIAN & MIDDLE EASTERN COOKING Facebook Page

I honestly had no idea about this feast or those food traditions up until I read a post about the Saint Sarkis cake on TasteOfBeirut. As it appears, this cake is a specialty of the Armenian community in the town of Anjar, a town located in the Bekaa valley in Lebanon.

The cake looks delicious and is easy to prepare (For those who cook). I have no idea if it is sold anywhere in Lebanon though. Here’s the required list of ingredients and method as taken from TasteOfBeirut’s post.

INGREDIENTS: 12 servings
3 cups of all-purpose flour
3/4 cup of olive oil
1/2 cup of boiling water (I added another 1/4 cup)(enough water for the dough to be moist but thick and firm)
1/3 cup of honey
1 cup of brown sugar
1/2 cup of raisins
1/4 cup of dried apricots, diced (I used candied orange rind also)
1/2 cup of chopped walnuts or almonds
1/4 cup of pine nuts or other nuts, plus extra to garnish the top
1/2 cup of sesame seeds
Spices: 3/4 tsp of ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp of cardamom, 1/2 tsp of nutmeg, 1/2 tsp of mahlab
2 tsp of baking powder
1 coin, wrapped in foil

METHOD:
1- Place the flour in a large skillet over medium-low heat and stir gently until the flour turns a light tan color. Transfer to a mixing bowl and add the sugar, spices and baking powder. Add the olive oil then the boiling water and mix until a thick dough is formed similar to a cookie dough; add the honey, nuts, raisins, apricots and mix to combine.
2- Spread the dough in a greased and floured round pan (9 to 12″ in diameter), inserting the foil-wrapped coin. Cut a piece of plastic wrap and place it over the dough and with your fingers pat the dough to smooth it out. Sprinkle sesame seeds on the surface and garnish with almonds or walnuts or other nuts. Bake at 350F for about 25 minutes until the surface is dry and golden brown. Cool and serve.